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German numbers, days, months and telling the time: 25 words

🇩🇪 GermanA125 words

Numbers, days and times come up in every shop, booking and appointment. This list covers counting, the days of the week, months and telling the time the German way, where "halb drei" means half past two, not half past three, and the date comes before the month.

Where you will use it: Prices, appointments, opening hours and dates.

German numbers, dates and time — The word list

Meanings and translations are in English.

GermanMeaning and example
einsone“Wir treffen uns um eins.”We're meeting at one.
zwölftwelve“Der Laden schließt samstags um zwölf.”The shop closes at twelve on Saturdays.
zwanzigtwenty“Das kostet zwanzig Euro.”That costs twenty euros.
einundzwanzigtwenty-one“Ich bin einundzwanzig Jahre alt.”I'm twenty-one years old.
hunderta hundred“Bis Hamburg sind es hundert Kilometer.”It's a hundred kilometres to Hamburg.
tausenda thousand“Das Fahrrad hat tausend Euro gekostet.”The bike cost a thousand euros.
die Uhrthe clock; o'clock“Es ist acht Uhr.”It's eight o'clock.
Wie spät ist es?what time is it?“Entschuldigung, wie spät ist es?”Excuse me, what time is it?
halb dreihalf past two“Wir treffen uns um halb drei.”We're meeting at half past two.
Viertel nachquarter past“Es ist Viertel nach vier.”It's quarter past four.
Viertel vorquarter to“Der Zug fährt um Viertel vor sechs.”The train leaves at quarter to six.
die Minutethe minute“Der Bus kommt in fünf Minuten.”The bus is coming in five minutes.
die Stundethe hour“Der Kurs dauert zwei Stunden.”The course lasts two hours.
der Tagthe day“Ich arbeite acht Stunden am Tag.”I work eight hours a day.
die Wochethe week“Nächste Woche habe ich frei.”I'm off next week.
der Monatthe month“Die Miete zahle ich am Anfang des Monats.”I pay the rent at the start of the month.
das Jahrthe year“Ich lerne seit einem Jahr Deutsch.”I've been learning German for a year.
der MontagMonday“Am Montag fängt der Kurs an.”The course starts on Monday.
der MittwochWednesday“Am Mittwoch habe ich keine Zeit.”I don't have time on Wednesday.
der FreitagFriday“Am Freitag gehen wir essen.”On Friday we're going out for a meal.
der SamstagSaturday“Am Samstag sind die Läden bis 20 Uhr offen.”On Saturday the shops are open until 8 pm.
der SonntagSunday“Am Sonntag haben die meisten Geschäfte zu.”On Sunday most shops are closed.
der JanuarJanuary“Im Januar ist es oft kalt und grau.”In January it's often cold and grey.
der Geburtstagthe birthday“Mein Geburtstag ist am 3. Mai.”My birthday is on 3 May.
das Datumthe date“Welches Datum haben wir heute?”What's the date today?

Tips for learning German words

  • Learn der, die or das with every nounThe article is part of the word: der Zug, die Fahrkarte, das Gleis. It decides the case endings and adjectives, so learn it from day one.
  • Type the umlauts and ßWrite ä, ö, ü and ß, not a, o, u or ss: schon means "already" but schön means "beautiful". Getting them right in WordNest trains your spelling.
  • Watch the verb positionIn a German main clause the verb comes second, and separable verbs split: "Ich rufe dich morgen an." Read each example aloud to feel the word order.

Standard German as used in Germany

German is spoken in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, and a few everyday words differ between them: a tomato is a Tomate in Germany and a Paradeiser in Austria, a bicycle is a Fahrrad rather than a Velo. These lists follow Standard German (Hochdeutsch) as used in Germany, and WordNest's examples, audio and AI corrections use the same standard. You will be understood in every German-speaking country.

Add five or six of these words a day rather than the whole list at once, keep the example sentence on the card, and review them when they come due. WordNest schedules each word across seven growing intervals — same day, then 1, 3, 7, 14, 30 and 60 days — so the list is still with you months later. Read how spaced repetition works if you want the reasoning behind those numbers.

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Questions about this list

Is this German from Germany, Austria or Switzerland?

Standard German (Hochdeutsch) as used in Germany. Where Austria or Switzerland usually use a different word, the list gives the one used in Germany, but every word is understood across the German-speaking world.

How do I practise German numbers, dates and time?

Start with five words, listen and say each example aloud. Then recall the German word, with its article, from its English meaning and review it over several days.

How many words are in this list?

This list contains 25 words and phrases with English meanings and example sentences. It is a starting set, not a complete course.

Study these words with spaced repetition

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